“Through practices in which we surrender to love, we come to the understanding–even if only for a moment–that we truly have no “enemies.” Instead, we see that we are surrounded by brothers and sisters who are suffering in one form or another, but who are expressing it as hatred. This being the case, shouldn’t we drop the word “enemies” altogether?
No doubt you have noticed by now that I have been placing quote marks around the word enemies, and the reason is this: to claim that we have “enemies” whom we must learn to love is to embrace in some measure the idea of a foe. It is to internalize the violence inherent in enmity, and thus to perpetuate–albeit inadvertently–the self/other framework that has fueled so much violence in the world. Indeed, to use the term “enemies” might even make it more difficult for us to imagine the person who harbors ill will and perpetuates injustice as one who suffers and is in need of our compassion, love, and kindness. Thus, as a part of our embrace of nonviolence, it is best we drop the term altogether, even though the command to “love your enemies” has been, for quite some time, a staple of the discourse on nonviolence.”
–Alycee Lane, from her excellent book #Nonviolence Now, p. 87.
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By: Stephanie Van Hook
Stephanie Van Hook is Executive Director of the Metta Center for Nonviolence.
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We cannot love our “enemies.”
